1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-layered ceramic electronic component and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to a multi-layered ceramic electronic component having excellent reliability, and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, electronic components using a ceramic material, such as a capacitor, an inductor, a piezoelectric element, a varistor, a thermistor, or the like, include a ceramic body formed of a ceramic material, internal electrodes formed within the ceramic body, and external electrodes mounted on surfaces of the ceramic body so as to be connected to the internal electrodes.
Among multi-layered ceramic electronic components, a multi-layered ceramic capacitor includes a plurality of stacked dielectric layers, internal electrodes disposed to face each other and having a dielectric layer interposed therebetween, and external electrodes electrically connected to the internal electrodes.
The multi-layered ceramic capacitor has been widely used as a component of computers and mobile communications devices such as a personal data assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, or the like, due to miniaturization thereof, high capacitance, ease of mounting, or the like.
Recently, in accordance with the trend toward high performance and slimness and lightness in the electrical and electronic products industries, compact, high performance, inexpensive electronic components have been required.
Particularly, as central processing unit (CPU) speeds have increased and devices have become miniaturized, lightened, digitalized, and highly-functionalized, research into technologies for implementing characteristics such as miniaturization, thinness, high capacitance, low impedance in a high frequency region, or the like, in the multi-layered ceramic capacitor has been actively undertaken.
Meanwhile, in order to match sintering shrinkage behaviors of the plurality of dielectric layers and the internal electrodes with each other, ceramic powder is added to a paste for the internal electrode.
The ceramic material may be discharged into the dielectric layers during a firing process, such that abnormal grain growth may be generated in an interface between the dielectric layer and the internal electrode.
Therefore, a thickness of the dielectric layer may increase, such that capacitance of the multi-layered ceramic capacitor may be reduced and connectivity of the internal electrode may be also deteriorated.
The following related art document discloses a multi-layered ceramic capacitor capable of adjusting a non-electrode regions in an internal electrode region, but according to the related art, a high capacitance multi-layered ceramic capacitor improving the connectivity of the internal electrode, a purpose of the present invention, may not be sufficiently implemented.